Monthly Archives: March 2009

Quizzo News and Notes

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Yo gang, we are back in action tonight. O’Neals at 8 p.m., Bards at 10 p.m. I have been fishing for ideas for wild card rounds on facebook, so if you’ve got any good ideas, let me have them. Also, I was inspired by the bit of smack talk we got going with Denver yesterday in the comments section of the documentary piece. I think it’s almost time for a little city vs city action. You guys think we should do some sort of bash against those clowns this summer? I’d really like to do something outdoors at the Jamaican Jerk Hut. Let me talk to them sometime soon.

Also, final quizzo ever at the Good Dog this Thursday! When I started there, like 6 years ago, they wanted to use quizzo to help get people used to hanging out upstairs. While I don’t want to take too much credit for the resulting success upstairs (I think it had more to do with what a kickass bar the Good Dog is), it finally got to a point where quizzo was no longer really necessary. (And, truth be told, the Good Dog quizzo crowd evolved from a rowdy bunch of partiers to more cerebral types who were more likely to drink water than booze. Higher scores lately, but lower bar bills. And I don’t get paid for high scores.) On the one hand, it is a little sad to move on. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Dave, Heather, Lisa, Erin, and the whole gang, and really enjoyed the intimacy of the room. That being said, however, I am kind of excited to try something new. I have had the same routine for years now, and I’m kind of excited to break out of it and find a new spot, which I don’t think will be exceedingly difficult to do. I’m going on vacation on April 11-17, and after I get back I’ll start looking for a new place to quiz. I’ve got a few spots in mind. Let me know if you’ve got any thoughts on places to look at.

Best Team Name at Quizzo Bowl Goes to…

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…17th place finishers You Dim Sum You Lose Sum. Very funny. You guys win a $25 gift certificate…somewhere. Shoot me an email and I’ll rummage up something for you guys. Nice work.

Lambda Lambda Lambda Defends Title in the Malice at the Palace

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Another year, another sell out, as almost 300 people packed the New Golden Palace in their quest to be named Philly’s smartest team (and see a kickass Hall and Oats cover band). In the end, it was the defending champs, Lambda Lambda Lambda, emerging with a slim victory. The Lambdas got a scare from called Sold Our Soul Train (a horned team that included Trivia Art, Smackdown, and D-Mac) but in the end retained their enormous trophy for at least another year with the narrowest win in Quizzo Bowl history, 124-121.

Quizzo Bowl V, held at the New Golden Palace at 8th and Washington, was about more than mere questions however. The show opened with a preview of an upcoming quizzo documentary, contained three rockin’ sets from Haulin’ Oats, and also featured a Chinese Lion Troupe performing at half-time.
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It started as a high scroring affair, with 8 teams recording perfect round ones and 29 of the 36 scoring 10 or more points (Out of a possible 13). The 50/50 round (Before or After 1967, the year Hall and Oates met) was a bit tougher. At the end of two, perennial Bards stronghorse the Hurtin Bombs had taken the lead. I had given a hint as to what the 3rd Round was going to be in an interview on NBCPhiladelphia, and some teams decided to study. It paid off, as the round was indeed “China”, though with a few wrinkles. (I’ll post questions soon.) Lambda and the Kingdom were tied for the lead after three, and it looked like a two team race. But Sell Your Soul Train was not to be discounted, as they went on a tear in the final round, and missed out on immortality by a single year in a question about life expectancy. Lambda escaped with a narrow but impressive 124-121 victory (they only missed four questions out of 48) and headed for the afterparty with their enormous trophy in tow. Got any fond favorite memories of the night? Leave ‘em below.

Question of the Week

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What 1980 show starred Mitsuyo Nemoto and Keiko Masuda and lasted for 4 weeks?

Why Doesn’t America Have Any Shows Like This?

Quizzo Bowl Final Scores!

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Here ya go. This will tell you how you were doing after each round, and what your final ranking was. If you see any mistakes let me know.

The Documentary Trailer


Here’s the trailer that was shown at Quizzo Bowl. (The highlight of it in my mind is without a doubt Garbo’s interview). Hopefully we’ll see the whole movie on the big screen by the end of the year. As for scores and story, I hope to have both up later this afternoon. The computer is in Ginger’s car, and she’s in Phoenixville, but she’s coming back in a few hours.

Quizzo Bowl V Poll

Watering Holes Get Best Team Outfit

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Didn’t do it the night of QBV, and thank goodness, ’cause these guys probably wouldn’t have won. It wasn’t until after the game that I realized what they were. They were Philadelphia bars (Which explains their team name, The Watering Holes). From Upper left clockwise: Doobies, Nodding Head, Chickie (those are peeps in the basket) and Pete’s (Rose Jersey), Bob and Barbara’s, Tattooed Mom’s, Copabanana. They’re gonna win a gift certificate…somewhere. I haven’t figured it out yet, but I’ll get ya something. I was psyched with all of the teams that dressed up in costume and in uniforms. Gonna have a big prize for best outfit next year.

Yeah, It Was Like That

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Wanna say thanks to everybody that came out last night. Hope you had as much fun as I did. Congrats to Lambda Lambda Lambda, who edged Sold Our Soul Train last night for their 2nd straight victory. Photos, scores and story coming tomorrow. I am spending today in my “lay on the couch, watch hoops, and nurse my hangover” mode. If you have any pictures, please send ‘em to me.

Tonight’s the Night


Alright, kids. Tonight is the night. Doors open at 5 p.m. Show starts at 6 p.m. The sooner you show up the better because it will be easier to combine smaller teams. It looks like the tables are more or less sold out, but I do have some room for singles and doubles. So if you wanna scramble to add a couple of people to your team, that could probably work. See ya tonight.

A Few Final Notes

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First of all, I expect to be sold out by the end of the day. I have about 25 tickets left. If you have not already bought tickets, please do so ASAP. You can try to walk up tomorrow in case someone cancels, but it’s gonna be highly unlikely. Here’s the details. If anyone has any questions, email me today.

TIME: Doors open at 5 p.m. Show starts at 6 p.m. sharp. I expect to be done by 9 p.m.
LOCATION: New Golden Palace. Corner of 8th and Washington.
ENTERTAINMENT: Hall and Oates cover band, as well a Chinese Lion Troupe. Also, a trailer of the Quizzo Documentary done last year to kick off the festivities.
VIP: Teams that dress up will get the VIP treatment. You will get the closest tables, and if at all possible I will try to deliver beer to your table at some point during the evening. You will also get a team photo from our professional photographer. (If more than 15 teams dress up, it’s gonna be the first 15 who get the first three rows.)
QUESTIONS: Questions will be a little tougher than usual, but not too brutal. There will be some multiple choice questions to even out the playing field. (Deal with it, nerds). 12 questions per round. You will not get sheets back after each round, so if you want to doublecheck your scores, you might want to keep a copy of your answers.
FOOD AND DRINK: Beer and wine will be provided free of charge, though I do expect you to take good care of your bartenders Corey and Liz. (No-one under 21 y/o will be admitted to the show. No exceptions!) Food will be available for an additional charge.
PARKING: Street parking. I don’t think it’s gonna be too bad on Washington at that time of day. If you are going to drink then by all means take a cab.
AFTERPARTY: The afterparty will be upstairs at Downey’s on Front and South Street Street starting at 9:30 p.m. There will be live music there too (No, not Hall and Oates tunes. Three sets of that should be plenty). It’s gonna be free admission, but please bring a few bones to tip the band! Lagers will be $2.50 a pop.
HOW MUCH RAPPING WILL THERE BE AT THIS EVENT? None.

Chip Chantry in Action Tonight at the Shubin

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If you’re looking to let off a little pre-Quizzo Bowl steam, be sure to check out my arch-nemesis in action tonight. Chip Chantry and Doogie Horner (also very funny) will be recording a DVD of their standup stylings at the Shubin (407 Bainbridge) at 10 p.m. Tix are a mere $10. For more details, click here.

The Nova Game

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Yes, the Nova game will be played during Quizzo Bowl V. I am shocked that the NCAA would do this to me. I guess this is payback for my harsh words in the past about the BCS. Anyways, here’s the deal. They do have a TV at the Palace, and I’m pretty sure it can get the game. However, I’m not gonna have the game running during the whole quiz. Too distracting. But the Nova game starts at 7:05 and I expect to be done with questions at around 8:30. So barring some sort of slowdown or problem, you should be able to catch crunch time of the game. I’m not making any promises, but I’ll see what I can do. Also, while you are welcome to check the game scores on your phone during breaks, you will not be allowed to have any electronic device during game play or your team will be eliminated.